Hoboken's Boys Of Summer: A Look At The Demarest Baseball Team, 1945

By Dennis Sevano

On the afternoon of April 12,1945, Harry S. Truman became President of the United States with the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. World War II was ending, the Manhattan project let by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer had developed the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Japan surrendered on Sept. 2.

The average cost of a home was $4,600, annual wages were about $2,400 per year, and gas on average was 15 cents per gallon.

Bing Crosby and Monroe Street’s Frank Sinatra were still dominating the radio waves with songs of affection. Films like the “Bells of St. Mary’s” grossed $21 million dollars.

Role models like Eleanor Roosevelt prepared American women to question traditional roles as women left the workforce after the war.

The Detroit Tigers won the World Series, not the Yankees, with “Hammerin’” Hank Greenberg who returned after four years of military service to hit a home run in his initial game.

June 20 and 22, 1945 faded away in local Hudson County sports recognition, becoming a more token of thought especially during the world chaos of the forties, but Demarest High School in Hoboken took the premium prize, Hudson County baseball champions outlasting Bayonne and Weehawken.

John Kane was the coach, setting the stage for subsequent round ball heads like Peter Vecchio, Joe Totaro and the winningest mentor of all, Buddy Matthews.

Mr. Kane was rewarded with a unique group of baseball players, a few of whom eventually became Korean Army Veterans after their stay at Demarest.

Marty McKibbin, an All-State athlete in three sports, attended and received a degree at Bucknell securing nine varsity letters, ending his stellar teaching career at Mc Donough School in Maryland.

Joe Feinstein, “Lefty” was the pitcher of the 45 th squad and played for the Butler Yankees, venturing into many business enterprises.

George Palermo was the captain of the Demarest County Champs, named to various All-County and All-State teams as a high school star, then professionally played in baseball at the minor league level.

Joe Totaro was the catcher on the squad, received a baseball scholarship to NYU, graduated, and was the head coach of the 1967 baseball champions. Mr. Totaro was the only Red Wing to hold County trophies as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

Ray Fiore was aggressively scouted by the Brooklyn Dodgers upon leaving high school, playing for the organization in the minor leagues for a few years. Mr. Fiore acquired degrees from Long Island University and Jersey City State College after his baseball career. Ray created a successful real estate business in Hoboken for years.

There were others like the Vidolin, Hennessy and the Stack family. Perhaps all the stars were aligned properly, moons ago, for the baseball crown.

"Memories were fine, but you couldn’t touch them, smell them or hold them," said one author. "They were never exactly as the moment was and they faded with time."

Let’s make it a point to hold on to the 1945 Boys of Early Summer at Demarest.